Various objects may be manufactured via molding processes. Molding is often employed to produce objects from various polymers and other types of plastic materials. Common molding processes include blow molding and injection molding.
Blow molding and injection molding both typically employ heated thermoplastic materials to conform to a shape created in a specially designed tool, or mold cavity. Blow molding is generally employed to produce hollow objects of relatively simple shape with loosely controlled thickness. Injection molding, on the other hand, is generally employed to produce objects of more complex shape, and is frequently employed where an object with more precise dimensional control is required.
Molded plastic components may be joined or assembled via a friction-welding process wherein heat is generated through mechanical friction between a moving component and a stationary component. A lateral force called an “upset” is typically added during the friction-welding process to plastically displace and fuse the materials of the components sought to be joined.